Hypoparathyroidism

Hypoparathyroidism often starts if glands in your neck are damaged during surgery.

Symptoms include:

• a tingling or burning sensation in your fingers, toes and face
• muscle pain, stiffness and spasms
• tummy pain
• brittle nails, dry hair and dry skin
• cataracts (cloudy patches that form at the front of your eyes)

Less common and more serious symptoms include:

• confusion
• an irregular heartbeat
• seizures (fits)

• you think you might have hypoparathyroidism

If you recently had neck or head surgery, you should have been given details of who to contact in case of complications. Try this first before talking to a GP.

Hypoparathyroidism happens when small glands in your neck (parathyroid glands) do not work properly.

These glands help control the level of calcium in your body. If they're not working properly, your calcium level may become too low.

Calcium is a mineral that the body needs to keep bones, muscles and nerves working properly.

Most of the time hypoparathyroidism is caused by the parathyroid glands being damaged during surgery to the neck or head.

Types of surgery that carry this risk of damage include surgery for an underactive thyroid or overactive thyroid, and surgery for head or neck cancer.

Other causes of hypoparathyroidism include:

• conditions where the body's immune system damages healthy tissue, such as Addison's disease
• some rare genetic conditions

If there's a chance you have hypoparathyroidism, you may have a number of blood tests to measure how much calcium is in your blood and to rule out other possible causes of your symptoms.

A low level of calcium can be a sign of hypoparathyroidism.

If you're having neck or head surgery, you may have these tests soon after surgery. This is used to check if there was any damage to your parathyroid glands.

Hypoparathyroidism can be treated by taking:

• calcium supplements – to raise the level of calcium in your body
• vitamin D supplements – vitamin D helps your body make better use of calcium

You'll usually need to take supplements for the rest of your life.

You may be offered supplements even if you do not have any symptoms, but tests show damage to your parathyroid glands. This helps lower the risk of any serious problems.

You may also be advised to make some changes to your diet, such as:

• eating foods high in calcium, such as dairy products, green leafy vegetables, soy and tofu
• avoiding or cutting down on red meat and starchy foods, like pasta and white bread

You'll need regular blood tests to check your calcium levels.

If these tests show supplements are not working well, then you may need extra medicines.

If you have hypoparathyroidism and your calcium level becomes too low, it can cause seizures and serious heart problems.

If this happens, you'll need to be treated in hospital. You'll be given calcium through a tube into a vein, until your calcium level returns to normal.

If you have hypoparathyroidism, health professionals will be there to support you throughout your treatment.

You can also get information and support from Parathyroid UK, a UK charity for people living with parathyroid conditions.

• Parathyroid UK: get support
• Parathyroid UK: self-help guide

Hypoparathyroidism is usually caused by small glands in your neck being damaged during surgery to the neck or head.

Symptoms of hypoparathyroidism include tingling in your fingers, toes and face, muscle pain and spasms, brittle nails and dry skin.

Hypoparathyroidism can be diagnosed using a number of blood tests.

Hypoparathyroidism can usually be treated with calcium and vitamin D supplements. These need to be taken for life.

If hypoparathyroidism causes your calcium levels to get too low, it can lead to serious problems such as seizures and heart problems.